Poland wins bid to host UEFA 2012 Championship

Both countries received eight votes, while the other hopefuls: Italy - four and Hungary and Croatia - none. Following the announcement of the decision by Michel Platini, Polish and Ukrainian representatives jumped up and burst out with a scream just as if their combined national team would have scored a goal deciding about the world champion title. "This is a breakthrough day, such an injection of optimism will be felt for many years. I hope that this will help us reach a compromise over disputes and divisions," said Pawel Adamowicz, Mayor of Gdansk. "How beautiful it would be if our joint victory would end the political disputes in Ukraine. I would like to see that everyone comes together to Majdan under one flag, Ukrainian flag," said famous Ukrainian pole vaulter Siergiej Bubka. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A3) M.M.